The present invention relates to an earring for the stimulation of acupuncture points and lines present in the outer ear which consists of an open-ended annular decorative member of any shape whose front end is adapted to be received in the outer ear cavity while its opposite end is abutting the rear surface of the outer ear. The earring may have a decorative structure exposed in front of the outer ear and having its rear end extending along the rear surface of the outer ear wherein the areas of the earring in contact with the outer ear consist of materials, preferably metals, which provide for an electric potential therebetween in accordance with their location in the electrochemical voltage series.
As explained in applicant'earlier U.S. Pat. (Ser. No. 07/827,469 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,009) such earrings provide; as a result of the different material in the contact areas with the acidic coating of the skin of a person wearing the earring, a galvanic element generating a constant flow of current resulting in acupuncture effects. In this case, the front end contact point of the earring is located within the outer ear cavity whereas the other end contact point at the rear surface of the outer ear can be selected as desired. This permits to provide for contact with acupuncture, points which cannot normally be accessed by the usual earrings of circular shape.
In accordance with their intended use such therapeutic earrings have generally been made of precious metals in order to avoid irritation of the skin areas in contact with the earrings, particularly to avoid allergic reactions. As a result of the use of such expensive metals, such earrings have been relatively expensive. Also manufacture of these metallic earrings has been relatively expensive particularly since it was necessary to provide different material structures at one end of the earring. In order to avoid high costs it has already been proposed in the aforementioned U.S. Patent to cast the earring in bronze with an iron end piece cast into the earring.
However, even this reasonably inexpensive procedure is still too expensive to make such therapeutic earrings accessible to the population at large. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an earring of the type described above which can be manufactured so inexpensively that it is in the price range of normal fashion jewelry pieces which have no therapeutic values.